Time out is a type of strategy that involves the withdrawal of all reinforcement for a specified period of time. Either the student may be removed from the setting or the reinforcer may be withdrawn from the student. The removal or withdrawal takes place after the student has displayed the inappropriate behavior. Time out procedures vary from a mild form, in which social attention is withdrawn, to a severe form, in which the student is isolated in a padded room. Time out has been used by teachers for years. Who does not remember the student who had to sit out in the hallway? The hallway, unfortunately, was sometimes more reinforcing than the classroom.
Rationale
Time out temporarily excludes a student from an opportunity to receive reinforcement (Morgan & Jenson, 1988). An inappropriate response is weakened when it is not followed by positive reinforcement. The student will discontinue the behavior so as not to miss any reinforcing activities. To borrow a phrase front Swanson and Reinert (1979), the student does not enjoy “time out from positive reinforcement.”
Where Should The Time-Out Take Place?
The time-out area should be:
- safe
- boring
- accessible
- visible
Some people use a small chair in a corner. Others have the child sit on the steps. The child should not have any toys near him. Any TV, radio or tape player should be turned off.
There does not have to be a special place for the time-out. The child can sit on the floor, or in a chair or on the grass if you are outside.
How Long Should A Time-Out Last?
Time-out should last a short amount of time. The longest time should be one minute for each year of the child’s life; a three-year-old would be in time-out for three minutes, a five-year-old for five minutes, etc. Even shorter amounts of time, one to two minutes, are effective.
Some Things To Remember About Time-Out
- Use time-out only for very negative behaviors such as hurting another person or destructive behaviors.
- Use time-out consistently. If you have decided to use time-out for hitting, use it every time a student hits someone.
- While the child is in time-out, ignore attempts to get your attention. When the child needs a time-out, calmly say something like, “you have a time-out for _ __, I’ll tell you when you can get up.”
- Time-outs do not work as well if they are over-used. Save the use of timeout for behaviors that you just cannot ignore.
- It is very important to reward the student for the alternative behavior! This means that if you are using time out for hitting, you reinforce your child when s/he plays nicely, or touches another person without hurting him.
- When the time-out is over, remind the student of the ‘rules’ by stating them in a positive manner: “Time-out is over. Remember to keep your hands to yourself. “
Implementation Phases
Time out, using reinforcer withdrawal, can be implemented in the following steps:
- Withdraw all social attention or remove material from the student when inappropriate behavior is exhibited.
- When the student has discontinued the inappropriate behavior, after a few seconds return the item and/or refocus attention on the student.
Time out, using student removal, is implemented in the following ten steps.
- Discuss with all the students ahead of time which behaviors will lead to placement in a timeout room or area. Post these behaviors somewhere to remind the students.
- Decide on the time-out place. If a separate room is selected, make certain it is well lighted and ventilated, is at least six feet by six feet in size, contains no objects that might hurt students, and provides an observation spot for monitoring. Many teachers just mark areas in the room, using strips of tape or clear plastic sheets. Sometimes a chair or carrel is selected,
- Incorporate a warning system in the time-out procedures. One warning is usually best, with the reminder that it is the student’s choice to discontinue the behavior or go to the time-out area.
- If the student continues to display the disruptive behavior, suggest that the student go to the time-out area. Keep the words as few as possible; for example, “You need to go to time out because . . .” Remain calm and do not lecture, scold, or criticize the student.
- If the student still elects not to go, physically help the student. In one case, a teacher used a countdown of five for the students to reach the area.
- Remind the student that the timing will begin as soon as the student is calm. Do not begin time out until all problem behavior ceases.
- Begin timing as soon as the student is quiet. Keep the student in the area from one to five minutes. Allow the student to return only when the student is engaging in appropriate behavior.
- Outwardly ignore the student during the time out, and limit any positive reinforcement from other sources.
- Log the time spent in the quiet area and the behavior that precipitated the placement. If a secluded room is used, the teacher is legally responsible for logging the occurrence and recording the student’s name, the reason for the time out, the time of day, the total time, and the student’s behavior.
- Remember to reinforce alternative behavior so that inappropriate behavior will not reappear.
Practical Application
Rettig and Paulson (1975) describe the removal of a positive reinforcer as a time-out procedure in a regular classroom. In this case a sixth grade teacher often played a radio tuned to low background music. Whenever a student or the group displayed inappropriate behaviors the radio was turned off. Once the appropriate behaviors were displayed the radio was turned back on. With the use of ‘a whistle switch’ circuit breaker, the teacher was able to turn the radio off and on in any part of the room.
In another case a teacher of young students used a cardboard separator around a chair as a timeout area. When one of the students, Stacey, bit another student after receiving a warning to leave the student alone, she was immediately guided to the time-out area by the teacher. Stacey would not remain there, so the teacher stayed with her while the aide watched the class. The teacher looked away from Stacey while placing a firm grip on her shoulder. The teacher then proceeded to look over the top of the cardboard and praise various students who were behaving appropriately. As soon as Stacey began to relax the teacher removed the hand on her shoulder and just stood at the end of the divider, where it was possible to interact positively with the other students and to distribute points. Stacey soon realized she was losing points and asked when she could get points. The teacher reminded her that no points could be given while she was sitting there, but that as soon as she sat quietly for a period she could earn points. This seemed to make a difference, and Stacey remained quiet. The teacher remained in physical proximity to the time-out area while Stacey was there. The next time Stacey was sent to the time-out area, the teacher stood only at the end of the divider.
Advantages
The advantages of time out are:
- Time out prevents contagious effects on other students since the disruptive student is removed from the environment.
- It gives teachers time to collect his/her thoughts and to regain room control, especially if the situation is a particularly disruptive one.
- It is not costly, and no special room is necessary, a small part of the classroom or a chair may be used for the time-out area.
Disadvantages
The disadvantages of time out are:
- The use of a separate room requires the teacher to remember that the student is no longer in the class. In one instance a disruptive student was placed in a time-out room and then forgotten by the teacher until the parents became frantic and called the police to report their child missing. Fortunately the parents were able to trace events to the time-out room and found the student there that evening. Surely, no disruptive behavior warrants that type of punishment.
- There are many legal ramifications in the use of a time-out room; thus, a teacher or school must be aware of logging and other requirements.
- Many times the removal of a student from the class, either to another room or to a time-out area in the classroom, results in extreme physical duress for both teacher and student. In one incident a 12-year-old boy was dragged by an aide to a padded time-out room. The boy was shaking his fists, screaming obscenities, and kicking. On the way he succeeded in wrapping his legs around a garbage cart. The aide became very distraught over the boy’s aggression and, in turn, began to threaten the boy. The teacher rescued the boy and the aide rescued the garbage cart. In some cases removal leads to even more aggressive behavior and the development of extremely negative reactions.
- It is often difficult to create a reinforcement-free environment. For instance, placement in a quiet chair in a room may create enough visual stimuli to provide reinforcement.
- Time out does not teach the student any alternative appropriate behaviors .
Summary
Time out involves the removal of the opportunity to receive reinforcement for a specified period of time. Either the reinforcer is removed from the student, or the student is removed from the classroom to a special facility or to a special area in the classroom. Due to the shortage of extra rooms and various legal requirements, separate facilities are being replaced by special areas in the classroom.
The procedures for implementation are different depending on the selection of time-out settings. However, the teacher should remain calm and in control at all times during the process.
The purpose of time out is to remove opportunities for reinforcement to reduce incompatible, undesirable behaviors. The procedure does not teach alternative behavior. However, coupled with reinforcement for appropriate behavior and the Individual Behavior Learning Packets, time out can be effective management tool for many problem behaviors.